SPARTAN-A274
|birth= October 14, 2520 |death= |gender= Male |height= 6'9'' (205.7 cm.) |mass= 108.6 kg (239.4 lbs.) |hair= |eyes= |spartantag= A274 |service= |branch= |group=* * * ** |unit= |rank= |specialty=*Designated Marksman *Demolitions Expert *Orbital Drops }} SPARTAN-A274 is a of the and . Due to the lack of human records, A274's name is actually unknown to anyone, including A274 himself. Therefore, A274 was "assigned" to the name of Daniel. Daniel-A274 is attached to the and was, formerly, assigned to of the . Daniel would operate as one of ONI's private reapers, as he would conduct covert missions against the and . Daniel-A274 is known for being an excellent sharpshooter and a demolitions expert. Daniel's particular skillset would earn himself a place within . The SPARTAN is viewed as more of a solo operator that works well behind enemy lines, all thanks to his unmatched resilience and his ability to be adaptive. However, Daniel's anti-social and aggressive attitude has made him a difficult soldier to work with, and has reckless tendencies to go off on his own. Daniel-A274 is regarded by his peers and superiors as being "a soldier first, and a human being second". Career Service Vitae (CSV) |} Biography Early Life The future Spartan was born on in October of 2520, to a married couple, whose names have been lost in human history. The only known information was that the young boy's father worked for the , while his mother was a dedicated school teacher. Raised in the sprawling utopia of , the boy was displaying a disposition for physical resilience and preternatural intelligence in his youth. The boy had a knack for mental and physical challenges. He enjoyed the challenge, and his parents would always encourage this behavior. However, the young family's happy life was about to come crashing down on them. In 2531, the , a religious hegemony of alien species that is bent on Humanity's extinction, had and deployed the bulk of their forces into to 'cleanse' the planet. The father was killed during the initial Covenant onslaught. The boy and his mother decided to hide in their home, surrounded by a mass of Covenant warriors. Eventually, stormed the home. In desperation, the mother hid her son underneath the bed in his bedroom. However, before she could find her own hiding place, the Elites entered the bedroom and found the mother. The boy could only watch, as his mother was tortured and executed in front of his eyes. The last image of his mother was her smiling at him with tears in her eyes, and the energy swords piercing her body. The event would greatly traumatize the boy, as he would suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for most of his life. After the Sangheili warriors exited the ruined home, the boy crawled out from under the bed and approached his mother's corpse. He felt a flurry of emotions that ranged from great sadness to furious anger. The boy stumbled out of his home, covered in blood, and wandered the war-torn streets. It was only moments later when a Marine discovered the boy in the streets, and rescued the small one before he was caught in the crossfire. The boy was placed on a evac transport, which promptly fled from the fallen planet. The civilian transport would arrive at the colony of , and proceed to dump the refugees on the planet. The boy was taken to a local orphanage on the planet. Stricken with immense grief and rage, the boy was silent when the workers questioned him on his identity and what had happened to him. When asked for his name, the boy recalled the name of the Marine that rescued him. Therefore, he claimed his name was Daniel, and that was all that he said. During his time at the orphanage, Daniel was bullied on daily basis by other kids. He was beaten, mocked, and ostracized. Then, one day, Daniel decided to fight back. After another plethora of insults, Daniel snapped and administered his own beatings on his tormentors. He had put two children in the medical ward and gave three others some nasty bruises. Daniel was then isolated from the rest of the children after the incident, to avoid another fight. Several days later, , who were recruiting kids for a new , had arrived at the orphanage that Daniel was staying at. The operatives discovered Daniel and evaluated his qualifications. The ONI agents were convinced that Daniel was an ideal candidate for the program. So, the ONI agents asked Daniel if he wanted to be part of a "special school" that would be playing a significant role in the fight against the Covenant. With nothing but revenge on his mind, Daniel accepted the opportunity. SPARTAN-III Program Daniel, along with 496 other children, were whisked away by ONI agents, and placed on a frigate destined for a mysterious planet known as . The trainees were met by and , their commanders, and were given their first test: a "night jump" from a high-flying Pelican dropship. Driven by anger and vengeance, Daniel jumped out of the dropship without hesitation, and safely landed at the drop zone. The SPARTAN recruits that passed the night drop were welcomed into . For Daniel, this was to be his chance of retribution and to find new meaning in his life. Basic Training In December of 2531, the trainees of Alpha Company began their intense five-year training program at on Onyx. These children would spend these long years learning all manner of military techniques under the direct guidance of Ambrose, CPO Mendez, and Currahee's training cadre. The trainees were no longer treated like children, as the kids were now given numerical identification tags and their vicious drill instructors wasted no time in dishing out brutality among the trainees. However, to Daniel-A274, it did not bother him as much, as the young man developed the mindset of "survival of the fittest", and would adapt to the brutal training regime. Thanks to the stories told by Ambrose of super-soldiers, known as SPARTANs, that fought valiantly and fiercely against the Covenant, Daniel became determined in becoming a SPARTAN, in order to avenge his fallen family and friends that he lost to the Covenant. Daniel had realized that in order to accomplish his desire for retribution and fulfillment, he had to become someone else, to become something else. For the first months of training, the S-III trainees were put through strenuous physical and survival training. Daniel was pushed to his physical and mental peak during this initial phase of training. Daniel also displayed his ability to adapt when it came to survival training, and showed surprising resiliency as well. Daniel would also showcase his talents for combat during CQC and weapons training. Daniel became proficient in hand-to-hand combat training and would end up being one of Alpha's best sharpshooters. Daniel would continue to impress individuals with his work ethic and resiliency. However, despite his progress, Daniel's personal issues and his cold-hearted attitude would work against him. Daniel was not popular with the other trainees and trainers during boot camp. He was callous towards his fellow trainees and Daniel's growing anger was becoming an issue during training. Symptoms of PTSD also began to surface within the trainee, as Daniel suffered from recurring nightmares and became easier to irritate as time passed on. Daniel-A274 also became unnecessarily brutal and violent during combat exercises. For example, during sparring sessions, Daniel had a reputation of going out of his way to injure the sparring partner he was with. He also got involved in brawls with other children. The situation only worsened when the young Spartans were split into teams and put into combat field exercises. Daniel was constantly rotated into different teams and punished for his lack of willingness to work with others, as he would go off on his own and abandon his team during these exercises. Daniel refused to get help from others, believing that they would only get in the way. Daniel was in danger of being dropped from the SPARTAN-III program, but a respected ODST stepped in to prevent that. Clayton Grimm, an ODST that was reassigned as a DI for Alpha Company, believed that Daniel-A274 had high potential to become one of the UNSC's elite soldiers that can help turn the tide against the Covenant. Grimm decided to put Daniel-A274 in a team of talented, but also troubled, trainees, and . Augmentation In 2536, Alpha Company was taken aboard the , a mobile hospital/research station, to proceed with . Daniel-A274, along with the other S-III trainees, were augmentated with the following drugs: *Drug 8942-LQ99: A carbide ceramic ossification catalyst to make skeletons virtually unbreakable. *Drug 88005-MX77: A fibroid muscular protein complex that boosted muscle density and strength. *Drug 88947-OP24: A retina-inversion stabilizer drug. It boosted color and night vision capabilities. *Drug 87556-UD61: Improved colloidal neural disunification solution, which in turn decreased reaction time. *Drug 009762-OO: A mutagen that alters key regions of the subject's frontal lobe. Enhances aggression, strength, endurance, and tolerance to injury. After awakening from the procedure, Daniel marveled at the changes to his body; his strength, his reflexes, and his agility had increased significantly. Daniel felt he had been reborn into something more. Upon recovery from their augmentations, the Alpha Company trainees were returned to Onyx to get accustomed to their enhanced strength and speed. Daniel, like the rest of the children of Alpha Company, had become a full-fledged Spartan. Graduation As Alpha Company's training drew to a close, a brief graduation ceremony was held by Kurt Ambrose, along with Franklin Mendez, to congratulate the children on their completion of training. Ambrose proclaimed they were now fully-fledged Spartans, and were ready to take the fight to the . Daniel and his teammates became very eager to go out and to exact payback on the Covenant. However, they would have to wait as their first operation was against the in the Outer Colonies. After Alpha Company's training concluded, the , with the idea of using these Spartans as their own operatives, handpicked several S-IIIs and would place them under their own supervision and own command for their "private" missions. The secretive was assigned to the supervise and evaluate the SPARTANS of Alpha Company during their operation on , and to find any viable candidates to work under the umbrella of Naval Intelligence. As the Covenant armada was sweeping through the outer colonies, the UNSC, let alone Humanity, was locked in a desperate struggle to repel the Covenant onslaught. So, Alpha Company was primed for combat role, in hopes that they can turn the tide in the UNSC's favor. Attempting to knock out two birds with one stone, Alpha Company was deployed against Insurrectionist factions to gain some experience and to neutralize the stubborn rebels that were forcing the UNSC into a another front. In late 2536, armed conflict had erupted between the colonial rebels and the UNSC forces on the colony of . Alpha Company was deployed to quell the insurrection on the world and to protect UNSC assets and civilians caught in the middle of the crossfire. However, Daniel-A274 and a few number of Spartans, whom were detached from Alpha and placed under the jurisdiction of ONI, were given different objectives for the operation on Mamore. This ONI black ops unit was given the task of raiding a rebel encampment in the urban province of Mato Grosso, and to eliminate the high-ranking rebel that was rallying and organizing the stubborn rebel resistance inside the whole province. Due to the secretive nature their presence, the ONI-sanctioned Spartans were given and also outfitted with and specialized weaponry for this operation. They were instructed to also not telegraph their presence to either friend or foe, and to leave no trace of themselves on that planet. Daniel was eager to get his first taste of battle. After successfully infiltrating Mato Grosso, A274 and his unit quickly and quietly surged through the urban ruins. The Spartans caused as much as damage as possible on their way to the rebel outpost, by killing guards at the checkpoints, silencing communication stations, and subtlety sabotaged any rebel-held vehicles and equipment. Daniel himself attained his first kills as a Spartan during their run, by mowing down two patrolling rebels with his . After an hour, the Spartans reached the rebel encampment, a ruined urban warehouse structure that was quickly turned into a Field HQ by the rebels. The Spartans quietly snuck by the sentries, infiltrated the warehouse, and went room-by-room searching for the leader and leaving a trail of dead rebels. After several minutes, Daniel and another Spartan located the rebel commander's position, in a office room filled with rebel troops. The two Spartans breached and cleared the room, leaving the rebel leader as they sole survivor. Daniel and his teammate discovered that leader was just some kid, probably 18, that was leading these ragtag rebels. The other Spartan, with his conscience getting to him, suggested to spare the young rebel. However, Daniel just simply pulled out his and put two quick shots into the young man's skull. Daniel then coldly replied back to the stunned Spartan and left the room to inform his team that the objective was completed. Then, Daniel-A274 proceeded to place explosives around the warehouse, while his unit worked on an extraction plan. After exiting the rebel outpost, Daniel set the explosives off, killing any remaining rebels in the area. The Spartans quietly made their way through the province, avoiding enemy patrols and quietly neutralizing sentries. It was also during this time that Daniel's cruelty would come into view. The unit managed to catch a rebel patrol off-guard, and they quickly dropped their weapons and surrendered. It lead to the Spartans debating whether to take them as prisoners or leave them. Without any warning, Daniel mowed down the prisoners with his SMG. Daniel then insulted the Spartans for their inability in decisions and then took point of his unit. Soon afterwards, the Spartans reached their extraction point and were taken off planet by a and take straight back to their ONI Prowler in orbit for debriefing. As the UNSC and Alpha Company mopped up the last holdouts on Mamore, ONI began their evaluations of their Spartans, determining which would return to Alpha Company and which would be full-fledged black operators and assassins under the Office of Naval Intelligence. Only Daniel and one other Spartan had made it through the ONI evaluations. Daniel-A274 was officially welcomed into , and was now an official field operative for the elite unconventional warfare unit, the Asymmetrical Action Group (AAG). ONI was not only satisfied by Daniel's lethal skillset, but his hard outlook made him ideal for the dirty and morally ambiguous ONI missions that needed to be done. Daniel now belonged to the Office of Naval Intelligence. Sometime, in early 2537, the Covenant had launched an invasion of New Constantinople, one of UNSC's more prized colonies. The UNSC, determined not lose anymore territory, deployed a sizeable Naval battle group and the SPARTAN-IIIs of Alpha Company to repel the Covenant invaders. During this time, ONI would also deploy Daniel-A274 to the embattled colony, not just to help in staving off the Covenant, but to also determine if Daniel was capable fighter against Covenant forces. When told of his next deployment, A274 became vibrant. He was now getting his opportunity, he was now about to get the revenge that he has desired for years. He was now going to make the Covenant pay for what they did to him and his family. However, the mission came with some strings. Daniel was to be under the command of one of ONI's handlers, and that handler was Roman Burrows. After on the besieged planet, Daniel-A274 was quickly briefed on his objectives; Field Reconnaissance had discovered that Covenant forces were setting up several base camps around a particular wooded area and were seemingly using this area as one of their staging zones. So, Alpha Company's Spartans were tasked to assault those Covenant positions, but where held up due to intense resistance by Covenant ground forces. Therefore, to prevent an influx of Covenant reinforcements on New Constantinople, A274 was sent to destroy the Covenant staging zone. This time, however, the mission was a solo op and Daniel would not be getting any ground or aerial support. Daniel was not bugged by this. To the Spartan, it just meant that there was "more for me". Burrows would be relaying his commands and intel via . Daniel-A274, under the cover of night, made his path through fortified enemy lines and reached the fringes of the Covenant staging zone. Daniel discovered that the Covenant bases were formed in circular formation. A274 then found out it wasn't protecting a landing zone, but a strange rock formation. Daniel made his way through the base camps, viciously killing many Covenant foot soldiers and priming explosives in each encampment. However, due to his recklessness, Daniel gave away his presence to Covenant forces and was forced to engage in a loud and intense firefight. Daniel managed to eliminate the remaining hostiles, but he had gave away his presence to the Covenant. Roman ordered Daniel to destroy the rock formation and to hold off the Covenant forces until Alpha Company can arrive and relieve him. After documenting and destroying the rock formation, Daniel set up booby traps and entrenched himself in a hidden with a Covenant Carbine. Covenant patrols came into the area and were cut down by Daniel's precision firing and traps. With their ranks breaking down and the "Artifact" assumed lost, Covenant forces pulled back and were able to extract Daniel-A274 from the zone. Daniel exited the area, leaving behind mangled corpses of Sangheili, Kig-Yar, and Unggoy warriors and a smoldering landscape. After being debriefed and evaluated in a secret ONI orbital facility, Daniel encountered his tormentor. Roman stated that Daniel embracing his darkness was the best thing to happen to him, and he was the "perfect killer". While Daniel did actually thank him for his advice on utilizing his hatred, Daniel, still withholding a grudge over Roman's training, repaid Roman with a swift punch to the jaw. Daniel left the unconscious Roman on the floor, and went on to prepare for his next mission. Battle of Palermo III Regrouping and Reassigned Post-War Era Recovery and Reclamation Battle of Corto Markovia Personality and Traits Physical Appearance Mental Report Overview Personality Morals Awards and Decorations Gallery Trivia *The character's origins are mixed with the origin stories of DC Comic characters, Batman and The Joker. There are also elements from the origins of Marvel's Frank Castle.